Key Native American Leader in Bush Administration Touts Tourism By Tanya Lee FLAGSTAFF, Ariz., March 5 -- Kay Bills, director of the U.S. Commerce Department's Office of Native American Business Development, talked to tribal leaders about how Native American communities could develop non-gaming enterprises on tribal lands at Information Management Network's 8th Semi-Annual Native American Finance Conference in Las Vegas. A few years ago, Bills (Osage Nation) was asked to head up the effort to make the Native American Business Development, Trade Promotion, and Tourism Act of 2000 (PL 106-464) a reality. She was offered the job, but told she would have no funding or staff. "It's an Indian program. Why would I expect funding or staff?" Bills asked the audience. The purpose of the law, she said, is to bring private investors onto reservations, "where they fear to go," and to build strategic alliances between private and tribal enterprises. Bills is clear in her vision of how tribes could develop profitable, lasting businesses with growth potential. "Every tribe has a natural resource Ñ cultural tourism," she said. International tourists are considered the key to success. Many international travelers to Indian Country hail from the U.K., Australia and the Republic of Korea, Bills explained. They find out about Native American tribes on the Internet and through travel agencies. Bills gave details from the Commerce Department's statistics: Three-quarters are repeat visitors who are very engaged in their travels and who want to engage with the people they visit. By 2011, the Commerce Department anticipates that 61 million international visitors will come to the U.S. "They have money in their pockets and they want experiences. They are desperate for Indian culture. They will, on average, spend three times as much money as domestic travelers, they will stay twice as long, and they leave no footprint. Cultural tourism is a natural resource for tribes, Bills emphasized. It is non-invasive, sustainable, and doable. "So what's the problem?" Bills asked, rhetorically, noting that many tribes have not taken on cultural tourism as a business focus. Tribes need to understand what their customers want. "What they want," she said, "is to shareÑyour stories, your foods, your culture and your events." Bills asked the audience to "think about the supply chain." Are you just planning an event, or are you thinking about how travelers will get to the event, where they will stay, where they will eat and buy gas, what purchases they will be interested in making? she queried. Bills said the Commerce Department is working closely with Dartmouth College in New Hampshire to help tribes develop cultural tourism as an economic resource. She suggested that people who were interested might benefit from a training presented by Dartmouth's Tuck School of Business on May 6-8 in Minneapolis titled "Building a High-Performing Business." Other training opportunities are available and information is available through her office. Minority Business Development Agency, U.S. Commerce Dept.